A narrative review of generic intervention fidelity measures

To increase the rigor of pediatric rehabilitation research, there is a need to evaluate the degree to which an intervention is conducted as planned (i.e., fidelity). Generic fidelity measures evaluate more than one intervention and often include nonspecific attributes of the therapy process common to both interventions. The objective of this study was to describe the characteristics of generic fidelity measures and examine how these attributes fit with pediatric rehabilitation. A review of generic fidelity measures was conducted utilizing health and education databases. Five generic fidelity measures are described and examined for their applicability to pediatric rehabilitation. The measures were used in nine studies meeting the inclusion criteria, involving people ages from 11 years to >65 years undergoing psychotherapy. From the 76 nonspecific items, 37 items were judged to be applicable to pediatric rehabilitation. Common characteristics of nonspecific attributes with pediatric rehabilitation are discussed, and investigator plans to conduct future testing.